Reminiscence
by DarkRedRoses
Summary: Prequel to Sweet Nightmare/Sweet Addiction. - Why did Irial avoid Niall anyway? - Pre-WL, a bit of Niall/Irial. Collection of one-shots. T-rating is just to be safe
1. Dance

A/N: Guess what? My exams are finally over + my inspiration came back! …Well, actually it suddenly hit me when I heard a random song… (it was 'The Dance' by Westlife. So you should all thank my friend who let me listen to that – otherwise I_never_ would have found it)

Strangely enough, it wasn't inspiration for a sequel for Sweet Nightmare or Sweet Addiction – nooo, it's a prequel! Sort of '_the moment Iri realized he had feelings for Niall_'. You know, the reason why he decided to avoid him in SN. Of course, it starts at a party. It's pre-WL, so it's normal they are attending a lot of them.

OK, that's enough information, on with the story!

**Warnings:** Practically none, since there's only some hints at IrialXNiall (mostly one-sided here) nothing serious.

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own Niall, Irial, or anyone else from WL… but I still write these stories about them. xD

* * *

**Dance**

It had somewhat become a habit. Another night, another town, another outrageous feast with Niall. That was a normal routine for the Dark King lately. Less usual were all the worries he had twirling around in his mind. Nourishing his court was becoming more difficult, especially now Summer and Winter were on such good terms. Even he found the sudden peace between king Miach and queen Beira suspicious. There were barely enough conflicts to properly feed his fey – even with all of Bananach's bloodlust and her never-ending craving for violence. _All I can do right now is hope that it will end soon._

He sighed and lit another cigarette. He didn't even hear the steady beat of the music, he couldn't let go of those anxieties long enough to savor the beautiful moonlit night with its many stars or the company of the new mortals. As soon as Niall noticed his friend was acting weird, he slipped out of one of the mortal girls' embrace and excused himself. Honestly, his companion's odd behavior was becoming quite annoying. They came here to have a good time, not to sit still. If something was bothering Irial, Niall would make sure it didn't last for too long.

He walked up to the deep red armchair Irial lounged in. "So, do you still plan on joining us? We arrived here almost two hours ago, and you haven't left that chair since then." He chuckled softly. "What's the matter, not in the mood today?" The monarch forced himself to grin. "So what if I'm not?" Niall stared at him with a questioning look. "OK, now I _am_worried… That's not like you." Irial shrugged. "It doesn't concern you, so there's no reason for you to be worried. Don't let this party get ruined just because of my mood."

The Gancanagh looked puzzled, but soon a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. "I'm sure you'll change your mind when you've danced a bit. Moving would distract you, don't you agree?" The king glanced out the window, obviously not listening to the other's statement. Niall patted on his head. "Hey, are you listening? Come dance with us!"

Irial groaned. "You can't force me Gancanagh, so give it a rest." "Oh, come on Iri, don't act like that!" He smiled gently when he pulled him out of the chair. "It's a party, so you should be dancing!" Niall maneuvered through the crowd, his fingers loosely intertwined with Irial's to make sure he wouldn't get out of his sight. He practically tossed him to the dance floor and laughed out loud. "Relax and enjoy yourself! Have some fun! Isn't that why we came here?"

_I guess he's right._Irial decided to just give in and tried to follow his friend's advice for once. It worked for a while, but his concerns resurfaced anyhow. He walked away from the too-loud music and left the room unnoticed – or so he thought. Not long after, he heard a familiar voice call him. "Irial! Where do you think you're going?" Niall scowled. "I just got you out of that damn chair, don't tell me you're leaving already?" He turned around. "I'm not going anywhere, I'm only taking a walk to catch some fresh air."

Niall followed his comrade to the backyard, staying a few passes behind him. It was deserted – because no matter how gorgeous this garden was by night, no mortal would wander around here if it was so much more pleasant inside. Inside; it was warm, safe, cozy. Out here; it was cold and a threatening silence lingered everywhere. In the faint moonlight, shadows crept from each tree and flower, and enveloped every living creature with darkness. The winter's chill made their breaths visible in small, puffy clouds that vanished seconds after they came. Neither of them showed any intention to break the quiet. "You're not going to tell me anything, are you?" Niall murmured eventually. Irial looked back over his shoulder. "Not really."

They stood quite far from the house now, but if you listened carefully, the music still floated through the air. The Gancanagh smiled subtly and without a warning, he grabbed his friend's hand. He whirled him around and then abruptly stopped again. Irial looked completely stunned. "What do you think you're doing?" Niall just smiled again. "I'm cheering you up. I told you dancing would help, right?" Now he turned around and pulled Irial along – although with some protests from the latter – and swayed him to the rhythm of the music.

The king struggled a bit at first, trying to back out, but as the song continued he got swept away by the moment – the clear sky, filled with sparkling stars; the firm movements of their dance; Niall talking, almost non-stop, about the most silly subjects he ever heard. It was a welcome distraction. For the first time that night, he laughed and he gladly commented on even the smallest thing Niall said to him. One song flowed into another as the night passed further.

He felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and suddenly the world around them seemed a bit brighter, the air seemed more refreshing and an unknown, strange feeling made his chest clench just a little tighter. _That's new._He started to wonder just what this indescribable aching was as they strolled back to the mansion. Their dance had stopped long ago, but they were still chatting about all kinds of things, and he was finally able to forget his court-related business.

_All because of Niall._The more he laughed, the more he talked, the more Irial couldn't keep his eyes off him. He was fascinated with the expressions Niall made while he explained something, how his tone of voice shifted every now and then, the way his skin became illuminated by the approaching sunrise and his keen, energetic pace of walking. Now he had somthing enterly different to ponder about.

_This can't be normal. Something's wrong._He shouldn't be looking at his friend this way. He shouldn't be focusing on the features of his face, his shiny hair, his muscular body. He should stop it right now. Pretend he didn't notice the irregular beating of his heart or the increasing speed of his breathing when he said goodbye. Act like before and never think about this event again now he walked away. That would be the best.

But denying it would probably also mean his memories of tonight would slowly fade. He didn't want to lose this moment of peace and tranquility; he cherished his time with Niall like a precious jewel. _It'll be alright._ He could remember and keep these feelings suppressed at the same time. It couldn't be _that_ hard. Lust – that was all there was. Simply physical attraction. Nothing else. The desire to touch him would probably go away if he didn't get too close for a while. He could endure it until then.

He smiled slightly. Even though he didn't know what the future would bring – for the two of them, for his court – it was worth it right now; he wouldn't have wanted to miss this dance for anything else in the world.

* * *

A/N: Another fic complete! Well, at least for now… I could make another chapter for this. But that would require brain-fuel. Which are reviews. At least 3 or 4. I think. *hint*

Oh, and there's another song by Westlife I liked: What About Now. I thought some of the lyrics really suited Niall & Irial (but not in this fic). Especially this part:

Shadows fill an empty heart as love is fading  
From all the things that we are, but are not saying  
Can we see beyond the scars  
And make it to the dawn?

If you fail to see the logic behind my reasoning, I think you should get your eyes checked. xD

And for people who like J-pop/J-rock; Mayonaka no Shadow Boy (Midnight Shadow Boy) by HeySayJUMP suits them too. You should thank ILoveAnimeVeryMuch123 for the rec.


	2. Sea Breeze

A/N: Err, hi? I'm back? So I wrote more of this prequel.  
What can I say? I love writing tension between two characters without actually letting anything happen? Or maybe I'm just a giant tease…

Anyways, read the second A/N for more info if you feel like it. If you're the anon that reviewed a few days ago, you might want to do so.

**Warnings**: Unbelievable fluff? Seriously, I tell myself that I don't like fluff, yet I can't describe this any other way. It's so innocent (and okay, maybe sweet) that I feel like facepalming.

**Disclaimer**: Not mine, blablah, so don't sue me, 'kay?

* * *

**Sea Breeze**

Winter had already faded away and spring neared its end when the Dark King and his entourage found themselves in the buzzing heart of a seaside city. All around them, merchants praised exotic products that were imported from countries around the globe and fishers negotiated about the price of their catch with the local housewives. The sun shone softly, interrupted every now and then by clouds, and a gentle breeze carried the smell of the ocean deep into the streets. The air here vibrated with happiness, frivolity, _life. _

Irial sighed. They would need to change that. The positive feelings that ruled this city even influenced the faeries that lived here. It wasn't nearly good enough to sustain his court. Even the havoc that the Hounds were creating in one of the nearby inns couldn't drown out the utter contentment the faeries here felt. It was really disconcerting.

Niall, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind his environment too much. The Gancanagh's gaze wandered from one place to another, never letting it rest on the same spot for long. He briefly browsed through some of the books in a small shop on the corner of the street and flirted with the girls that were selling jewelry a bit further away. Irial shook his head and suppressed a chuckle before walking towards his friend. A little entertainment tonight wouldn't hurt anybody and if he judged their looks to Niall correctly, those girls were more than willing.

He wasn't even halfway there when Niall saw him, mumbled a few last words to the girls and strolled back down the street and joined Irial.  
_Oh well, we'll need to find another distraction for tonight then._

"Iri," the Gancanagh started, "I thought you were staying with Gabriel and the others?"

Irial grinned. "There was a change of plan. Besides, I wanted to explore this place." Alright, so maybe that was a complete lie. The king didn't care about his current whereabouts, but he _did_ care about finding sustenance for his court. He couldn't tell Niall about that though. He quietly reminded himself that he still needed to keep that a secret for now. For some reason, his chest clenched painfully whenever another lie to his friend rolled off his tongue and escaped his lips.

Completely unaware of Irial's inner musings, Niall grabbed the other's arm and started pulling him along. "In that case," he said with a smile, "I want to show you something."

Taken aback for a moment, Irial didn't give a response. They both just walked out of the street, further and further away, Niall keeping his hand loosely around the Irial's wrist. The Dark King followed when they left the city and crossed the line where earth met sand. Curious about their destination, he broke the lingering silence and asked with a frown "Where are we going?"

Niall smirked. "You'll see. Have patience."

They continued down the shore while the wind whipped around their heads. Up ahead, a rock formation broke the monotonous view of sand and water, towering above the few tropical trees that stood lonesome on this arid piece of earth. Niall dragged Irial to the largest rock and took a few careful steps on it before he motioned for the other faery to follow him up. Still not understanding the purpose of this sudden trip, Irial started ascending with a sigh. Luckily, the rock was neither steep nor very high, so the climb didn't take very long. Niall was already seated on the edge when Irial reached the top and went to sit next to him.

"This is what I wanted to show you." The Ganganagh said while he gestured around them. Irial took in the surroundings for the first time.

Behind them lay a small forest. The trees swayed lightly and the leaves casted dancing shadows on the ground below. Gradually, their number lessened and they made place for rocks and white sand. The beach stretched out to both sides of them as far as the eye could see, only interrupted by the harbor in the distance where ships were constantly arriving and leaving when the weather and tide allowed it. Sunlight was sometimes reflected by the waves that rolled on and off the shore without pause. The color of the seawater almost blended with that of the sky in the horizon. No matter how you looked at it, this scenery was beautiful.

"It's gorgeous, don't you think so?" Niall had apparently moved to lie down at some point and was now gazing at the clouds that drifted by at a leisurely pace. A smile tugged at his lips when he redirected that bright gaze straight to Irial. "One of the girls in the previous city told me about this spot, so this was the first place I went to when we arrived yesterday. I thought she was exaggerating, but it was the truth. It's very picturesque."

Irial shifted while the other man talked, turning his head to look at him. Niall's dark hair was still tousled by the wind and a few strands stood out in the wrong direction. His eyes were focused on the clouds again, rays of light playing over his already slightly sunburnt skin. Irial licked his lips and swallowed before replying "I guess it is."

There it was again, that unexplainable surge of lust pumping through his veins and that uncomfortable tightening of his chest that took his breath away. He really should try harder to keep a distance between them, but he always forgot his previous intentions as soon as Niall came near. The Gancanagh had a way of pulling him in and making him forget about everything else for a while.

The realization that he might have been a little too lost in thought hit Irial too late, because Niall spoke up again. "Iri, if you won't lie down on your own, I will pull you instead." He grinned again. "It seemed appropriate to give you a fair warning."

Irial laughed and leaned back on the rock underneath them. "Sure, if you say so. Thank you for warning me."

At the moment, Irial found himself unable to care about his plans to ignore the warmth that spread through him when Niall was near. The Dark Court was impulsive after all, so why wouldn't he let himself indulge in this? Even if it was a lot more innocent than what usually happened in the heat of the moment, it felt good to stop worrying and enjoy himself. Right now, he felt as close to happy as he had been in a long time.

He didn't let himself think too much about the fact that it was caused by nothing more than talking to Niall with the sea breeze carrying their voices.

* * *

A/N 2: Sorry for going MIA… it's not that I stopped obsessing over WL, it's more like I found more things to obsess about. Like Supernatural and X-men: First Class. I simply didn't have the inspiration to write another Irial/Niall story (until said anon reviewed and said that (s)he had read my stories multiple times and wanted more. Yes, I'm talking about you, anon that reviewed on the 2nd of July! Damn you, how did you know my weak point? I can't deny anything to recurring readers… So congratulations, this is your doing, I hope you're happy now? ;P)


End file.
